Thing 23 – Reflections

I have been exposed to so many cool technology related ideas and tools during this summer course.  I have enjoyed interacting with the content and have seen so many possibilities for expansion of curriculum learning objectives to include interactive web based learning activities.  I think the only downside for me has been that I spend so much time on the computer in the completion of my daily job responsibilities that it was difficult to complete an online course that required further computer use when I really was ready not to “click” for the remainder of the day.  None the less, my personal “needs” aside, the course instructor has done a marvelous job in organizing the course content and presenting it in a easy to follow format while also providing multiple opportunities for extension and challenge.  I can also say that the pacing flexibility in the completion of assisgnments met my scheduling needs.

As for further steps, I look forward to implementing some of what I have learned.  I would like to see our school develop a school-wide PageFlake and I know that we should be able to capture the power of some of the slide show production software tools to develop grade level PR materials.  I look forward to encouraging teacher use of the Web 2.0 tools in the classroom and I know that our technology committee will need to spend some hours becoming familiar with some of these tools so they can consider what steps need to be taken in updating the school-wide technology plan and possibly the Information Literacy Curriculum.  I love my Google reader feeds and now am challenged by trying to keep up with all of them!

Lastly, a personal note of thanks goes to Shelley.  Thank you for a great course experience and keep up the fantastic work!  I know it requires so much dedication on your part to make this happen for us.  Best wishes for a great fall class!

Thing 18 – Podcast Under Construction

After much procrastination, I found using the podcasting tools quite easy which was something I did not expect at all!  When I came across this assignment, my first thought was one of I will never get this done, and so I won’t complete the course – not a pretty thought when you are in this far!  Perhaps, it was the intimidation of interacting with web based voice conversion and posting programs or more likely the mere problem of trying to figure out what I was going to say, but the drive to complete the task (for me – “the final course thing”) overcame the “fear and I persevered.

I see this tool as being useful to a professional who wishes to provide support for course learning.  I also think students would enjoy making their own podcasts to demonstrate what they have learned.  It would be great for students who know and understand content to create podcasts for those about to learn the content or for those who need a little more support.

Thing 22 – Social Networking

Exploring Classroom 2.0, the social network, is no easy, quick task.  There is a plethora of information available and a significant number of users.  I was actually introduced to the Classroom 2.0 previously when invited to attend an online conference about Creative Commons licensing.  The web cast used Eluminate technology that enabled active participation and  interactions through posts and verbal contributions including live questions and answers.  I found several Web 2.0 forums of interest that I will enjoy exploring in future weeks as I stay connected.  While I still have not created a Facebook or any other social networking page, I do appreciate the power of such tools.

Thing 21 – PageFlakes

I found PageFlakes to be a useful fun tool for establishing a personal “homepage” for content exploration and fast and easy access to Internet information locations.  The ease of information access is addictive and keeps you exploring and the tools can assist in personal organization skills and time management.   I think this tool would be very helpful as an add-on tool to our website in directing parents to information to support their children and their accessibility to services at our school.

Thing 20 – Google Docs

I previously have not used Google Docs and have always used the Microsoft package of tools to conduct professional and personal work production needs.  I found Google Docs a great easy-to-use tool for quick production needs, and I love the aspect of it being saved on a server much more powerful than mine thus enabling far less opportunity for lost or corrupted documents- Yes!  Of course, these tools are less “powerful” than their Microsoft and Open Office counterparts but certainly meet most basic production needs.  I love the survey/form creation feature and the revision history tool.

Ideas for using Google Docs:
1. Shared document creation among a team of teaching professionals – such as newsletter content, group e-mail, group letter, team spreadsheet as related to grade level achievement data collection, etc.
2. Quick survey tool for reviewing customer satisfaction as it relates to a product or service
3. Shared document creation with family and friends to save personal anecdotes about shared experiences
4. Classroom/group shared document creation for web content, Wiki content, etc.

I explored several podcasts and found some of them interesting and others quite boring.  I was struck by the necessity of using the power of the vocal tools of inflection, timing, pause, stress, etc. to “induce” interesting content for the listener.  Some of the podcasts were so “dull” and “dry” that within a couple of minutes I tuned out and moved on to another for “relief”.  And then on the opposite end of the spectrum, I found others that flowed like spring water nourishing my mind with rich “mineral” content and “cool, crisp water” thus preventing mind “dehydration and waste”.  Those refreshing drinks obviously created by powerful users of the media with well chosen topics.  On a side note, I enjoy the Coffebreak foreign language lessons, even though they are a bit slow at the onset.

I think podcasting affords the opportunity for students (and others) to demonstrate learning by harnessing the power of voice, mind, and this media tool (with its auditory enhancements) and using it to teach/inform others.  I also believe it provides continued auditory support for students in need of remediation or enrichment.  The vast availability of content creates many opportunities for students to “tune in” to a multitude of topics to instruct or support learning.  Linking content, created in a podcasting environment, to other products such as a class Wiki page enables students to learn how to use a number of tools to enhance their and others’ learning using a multi-modal context.

I spent a good bit of time exploring YouTube and TeacherTube.  The possibilities with YouTube seem almost endless.  The content, while sometimes is problematic, is quite helpful in the fact that the information is broad and the topics extensive.  I do think educators need to be cautious in their You Tube usage, as with anything Internet based, and prepare appropriately as to search terms, etc.  I also think that content can be better harnessed by embedding the video clips into an environment such as a Wiki page, where selective content is posted, links to related videos removed using the YouTube feature, and perhaps limiting the page editing.  TeacherTube was helpful, but often less interesting in terms of production style and content choice.  Although, I did find a number of pieces that I think students would find helpful in providing further explication of lesson content.  I think one very useful application of both Teacher- and YouTube would be in the area of finding supporting video content that provides lesson support follow-up for students who require support when away from the classroom and trying to complete homework assignments.  I also see possibilities for building online course content that is much more interesting than some of the online courses that are currently offered – present online course obviously excluded!

I chose a couple of videos to embed into my Wiki Sandbox page, Sojourner’s Flip-Flops. I particularly enjoyed the feel good piece on teaching a Labrador how to swim in the family pool.  Be sure to take a peek; it will bring a smile to your face and it’s good for a few laughs to release some endorphins.  While TeacherTube is usually pretty serious, I did find a piece on the top ten things you didn’t learn about teaching while attending your college preparatory program.  Enjoy!

Thing 16 – LibraryThing

Thing 15 – Using a Delicious Account

Delicious is easy to use and such a fabulous tool for marking and saving favorite web pages/websites.  I also the love the power of being able to use the previous favorites searches of others as well as being able to benefit from sharing from the accounts of others.  Identifying tags is easy with the many suggested tags that are supplied to the user, although I also found myself adding a few other tags to the suggested ones.  Tagging seems to be an individual art.  It seems to me that it is advantageous to have an idea of how you want to tag in order for Delicious to support your internal “file cabinet” – your mind.  I like having the ability to share a suggested web page with a colleague by tagging it to them and sending it to their Delicious Inbox – a very cool feature.

Click here to access my rudimentary Delicious account.